Navy officials are weighing in on using interactive
video games like the Nintendo Wii and Dance
Dance Revolution
to help new enlistees build up endurance and get past boot camp.
There is a growing concern that those who are currently enlisting
require more work to get into shape than was needed with past
recruits. Officials are attributing it to a more sedentary
lifestyle.

Recent
studies indicate that the Wii has little effect on family fitness,
but that has not stopped the Navy from heavily considering the
possibility of using interactive games in the training of its
recruits. According
to the Navy
Times,
Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam Robinson believes that most young
people prefer computers and video games to sports and other physical
activities. Using interactive video games, in conjunction with
traditional training could help new recruits when it comes to
endurance, Robinson said.

"There
are lots of programs now that people can [use to] become very
physically active while they’re using interactive computer games,"
said Robinson. "So, in other words, this isn’t about [starting]
with computers and stopping [everything else] — because we’re not
going to do that. This is about incorporating those types of
activities into something that people can use to become more
physically active."

Robinson
added that there has been an issue in terms of physical
fitness. More new recruits are injured in basic training
because they are not used to the amount of standing and running that
is required and they have found that women in boot camp suffer more
bone injuries than in the past, Robinson said.

"There
have been more fractures and femur fractures and long-bone fractures
in some of our young female recruits, and that’s related to the
amount of activity and a sedentary lifestyle that they’ve had
before they’ve entered the service and then the uptick in physical
activity after they’re in the service."

The
plan is still in the early stages and there is no timeline set for
video game use in basic training.

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1 pull-up, sure, but I think a 7 minute mile is little fast for the average high schooler. Maybe 9 minutes. We had some people in our class who took 15-20 minutes, although they couldn't/wouldn't run the whole time.

Wow, things have changed in 10 years. I had PE 3 times a week, though it was an elective after sophomore year.

People ask, "Why should I take PE if it doesn't teach me job skills?" to which I say, being in shape, maintaining proper metabolism, and generally being a little more fit than the average has many benefits in the job world. More oxygen to the brain, not getting tired right after lunch, being able to fight off cold/flu easier etc etc..

I, sir, Agree with you. Right outta high school i was 6'1" and a trim 240...10 years later I'm sitting in my chair 6-8 hours a day doing IT and I get barely any exercise because of work and family commitments. I gained 80lbs...that's 320 for that can't do math and I have all the problems you spoke of. I just wish my job gave me a treadmill so I could walk and work.

"Trim" 240? You were obese then! Talk about how much standards have dropped...

My middle school graded us on how quickly we could run. We had PE 3 days a week and had to run 1 1/2 miles every Friday. I think it was under 11m for 1 1/2 miles for an "A" grade and then they raised it to 12m the last year I was there.

How much better off would American citizens be if we were all healthy and there was a PE requirement to graduate? There have been multiple studies that have shown exercise is linked with improved cognition and a reduction in aging effects. Now that the socialists are making us pay for everyone's health care, why not add even more socialism?http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v9/n1/abs/nrn229...

Instead of just exercise, they should also teach basic nutrition in schools as well. I know at my school they did try to throw in some nutritional information in the half-semester cooking class everyone had to take and interjected slightly throughout PE whenever the coach would think about it (almost never) but it was really very thin on useful information.

Basically, it boiled down to follow the government food guide, which is actually a decent start which everyone should at least be aware of.

One problem I know happens though is that nutrition ideas seem to change every few years. You can't expect the average high school P.E teacher to keep up on all of it like a college level nutritionist. That and sometimes the current ideas are shown to later be just plain wrong.

I can vouch for the 7 minute mile. I was only ever able to do 8 and I'm pretty darned slim and trim (I was in high school too). Even when I did the 8 minute mile, I developed the dry heaves afterwards. This was after running 3 miles in the morning and 3 miles in the night for a four month period, so you'd think I would be able to do a sub 8-minute mile by then.

I couldn't. The reason is actually a bit more obtuse but quite elegant when you know the truth. The truth is I was born with a heart condition. It prevented me from pumping enough blood throughout my body under exertion via stenosis.

If you force high school kids to do a 7 minute mile, there _will_ be some, even though they appear extremely fit (4 hours a day practicing martial arts makes you pretty fit), they still might have underlying physical conditions that prevent them from achieving that goal.

There would have to be exceptions of course. But the people with exceptions aren't usually Navy recruited.

And since I don't know very many girls who can do a pull up at all, maybe that arm flex hang or something. And I just threw 7 minutes out there. I know we had to run 20 minutes 3 times a week in P.E. and by the end of highschool most kids had improved their times by 25-40%. I went from 9 to high fives (I blame tennis practice).

It's not so important what standards are decided on, but that there is at least some kind of standard.

I was talking to a friend who is a primary school teacher (Grade 1-2), and she told me that they are no longer allowed to fail a child since it would be detrimental to their self-esteem. I would imagine that staying back and doing okay in school would be better for your self-esteem than spending the next 12 years struggling to keep up.

That and the little retard's parents throw a damn fit to the school board if they are failed. My mother and 4 of my Aunts are teachers and say this happens all the time. They say the parents and school administration politics are usually a bigger problem than the child.

3 mile am/pm runs only train endurance not speed. To shave seconds off your time you'll need to mix it up and with some anaerobic exercises like mountain climbers, flutter kicks, bicycle kicks, even swimming laps in pool. Once you build up you build up your leg muscles, learn to breath, proper form, and how to stay mentally focused. Mile times from High-6s to mid-7s shouldn't be all that hard to achieve. I don't remember my last mile time, but right now my mile and a half time is right at 9:30 and even with me slowing down the the final quarter. Running set distances regularly does nothing to help you improve, just maintains whatever level you are at.

I have and it's not really very good cardio. Very low impact, the aches are mostly from haveing to hold the bag at uncomfortable angles for a long time. A good bike ride or run is better excersise and will likely hurt less the next day.

You could play 3 rounds of golf every day of your life and not be able to run a 7 minute mile. In one round, you walk about 5 miles and burn about 500 calories, but it doesn't stress your heart. You need to keep your heart rate at 60-80% of your maximum for at least 15-20 minutes to start building cardiovascular muscle.

People who really want a military career or are driven are likely to find a way to get get a basic balance of endurance, basic strength, speed, and power to weight ratio, help or no help. Showing up for group PT while in DEP will help a lot, if you can attend.

Couch potoato who can't yet do pushups or pullups, it will take a few weeks to get the strength to do them, then about 1-3 years to get very fit. Pushups build strength to help with pullups, running conditions the lungs and swimming is easier to re-learn when you adapt after a few days.

I can go on and on but calisthenics, a warmup, and never stop trying to be better, is all you need to get "whipped into shape". It just takes a lot of time. O yeah run to.

So the point of my post... don't waste money on elaborate programs or games when the basics will always work.

Maybe treadmills and bikes with TV screens where you either watch TV or race based on how fast you are moving, complete with handlebars. Might be good to keep a beginner's mind busy but its not a long term substitute for outdoor running or swimming.

People can forget how to swim? This is an honest question. I can't bring myself to believe it. Does anyone know someone (yourself included) who has ever admitted to swimming a lot as a kid but not knowing how to do it now?

The knowledge is still there, you don't forget it. What I mean is that after about ten or more years of being out of competition swimming, as well as maybe bobbing in a pool once a year, it takes a few days to relearn the coordination, not the strokes.

If you built up your lung endurance with running, the CR system is already fit and the adaptation to swimming endurance will be a lot easier and faster. Adapting to a different method of working the same systems is a lot easier than building the endurance from scratch. This is my experience.

Its like training with deadlifts but trying RDLs. you get to start at a higher weight and progress faster because you are already strong.

quote: More new recruits are injured in basic training because they are not used to the amount of standing and running that is required

Could it be that the reason these kids aren't used to standing and running is BECAUSE THEY SPENT THEIR YOUTH INSIDE, PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, INSTEAD OF GOING OUTSIDE TO PLAY???? Really, let's encourage more of that, why don't we?

I don't mind the idea of helping the recruits out but seriously if one is considering service one has to maintain his/her shape and health.

But yes, I agree as well. My nephews and nieces practically have no exercise whatsoever. I blame this on themselves, since most are older now and should know better, and other factors. Growing up, I lead my gang up and down San Diego walking and biking for miles and miles for almost the whole freaking day. Sure, I play games back then. But when I see kids today doing it I just shake my head. 0 activity done. Pathetic.

I think there are many ways the Navy could use Video Games to better extent than physical training. The Wii Fit is hardly the best platform for physical fitness. I think the Navy is really missing the ball on this...

There have been several studies recently, the above is just one of many, that have shown that Video Games dramatically increase the mental aptitude of the gamer. I pressent to you the results of one study that shows that Surgeons benefit greatly from playing video games. In a nutshell, surgeons who played games were 27% faster and made 37% fewer errors than those who didn't.

To be fair, these were laproscopic surgeons, so control manipulation of a remote surgical platform was crucial for their profession. I have seen other studies that relate to general surgeons as well. The point is, they develop advanced mental acuity, awareness, strategic thinking, and ability to execute while under pressure.

I think the Navy is missing the ball here. They should instead, be using these games to enhance in their officers the mental repertoire needed to operate under high-stress situations such as those in combat or emergencies. The Army or Marines could benefit from this as well. The Navy especially could use it with enlisted men that work in say the Air Traffic Control of a flight deck or even the flight deck crew themselves as it already is a high stress situation even without combat being involved.

What is there outside to go to? Urban planners rarely provide age-appropriate activities, they might throw a park in there, but it will be mostly designed for 4-6yr olds. "Outside" is also a rather nasty environment, bad weather and temperature extremes (lightning + metal jungle gym), random bullets in some more violent areas, and a complete lack of adult supervision.

Not to mention this thing called Asthma, even one of The President's daughters has it. Try getting a kid who has trouble breathing or a failing heart to run an 8 minute mile in today's sue-happy society.

The solution is an INSIDE exercise and fun (exercise bikes and treadmills are NOT fun) area with adult supervision, sorta like the Boys and Girls Club.